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It's that special time of year, where film lovers from all over Illinois come to Champaign to celebrate and enjoy films inspired by the Great Roger Ebert's exquisite taste and his dedication and passion to the art of film. Founded in 1999 by Roger himself, the film festival features films that didn't receive the recognition they deserved the first time around. Though he passed in 2013, he is a constant influence on the festival. Some of the films come from Roger's own lists of possible films for his festival while others are selected by Chaz Ebert and Festival Director Nate Kohn, based on Roger's criteria for a Ebertfest film of course. Having both worked closely with Roger for 15 years, they know pretty darn well what he would approve of and what would make him cringe.

As Roger himself said:

"Every great film should

seem new, every time you see it."

Well at EbertFest every film will certainly seem new! It's core mission is to celebrate films, genres and formats that have been overlooked by distributors, audiences and/or critics; including independent, international and studio films that did not win wide audiences; overlooked formats such as 70mm; and overlooked genres such as documentaries and musicals. One of our favorite parts of the festival is that it screens one film at a time, so everyone sees the same films at the same time, which promotes a strong sense of community among audiences, filmmakers, guests, students and scholars.

"No good movie is too long

and no bad movie is short enough."

We know that not everyone has the same taste in movies, but if you're going to trust one critic's opinion, it should definitely be Roger's, so hopefully the above quote won't apply this week. Come see some great films, meet fascinating directors, actors, and filmmakers and celebrate the art of film and the life of one of the world's most beloved Film Critics.